The Confederation of African Soccer (CAF) has expanded the Girls’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) from 12 to 16 groups, beginning in 2026.
CAF introduced the choice in a communiqué issued on November 3, confirming that its Government Committee had permitted the event’s enlargement to reinforce participation and competitiveness throughout Africa.
The transfer follows the completion of qualifiers below the earlier 12-team construction, which noticed conventional powerhouses equivalent to Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Egypt miss out on qualification for the Morocco 2026 finals.
To make sure equity, CAF acknowledged that “the 4 best-ranked groups in keeping with the present FIFA Girls’s World Rating, amongst these eradicated within the remaining qualifying spherical, will likely be chosen to finish the checklist of 16 taking part nations.”
Primarily based on this rule, Cameroon (66th), Côte d’Ivoire (71st), Mali (79th), and Egypt (ninety fifth) have now secured reinstatement to hitch the 12 nations that certified by way of the pitch.
The choice brings reduction to Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses, who misplaced 3–1 on combination to Algeria within the remaining qualifying spherical, initially lacking their second consecutive WAFCON finals.
Côte d’Ivoire have been edged by Burkina Faso, Mali fell to Equatorial Guinea, and Egypt misplaced to Senegal after a hard-fought combination battle.
CAF emphasised that the growth aligns with its long-term imaginative and prescient to strengthen girls’s soccer and promote inclusivity throughout all areas of the continent.
The brand new 16-team format goals to supply extra alternatives for nationwide groups to compete and develop on the African stage.
The 2026 WAFCON, which additionally serves because the African qualifiers for the Brazil 2027 FIFA Girls’s World Cup, will happen in Morocco from March 17 to April 3.
It should mark the first-ever version that includes 16 nations — a landmark step within the improvement of African girls’s soccer.
Certified Groups for 2026 WAFCON (Expanded Version)
1. Morocco
2. Zambia
3. Tanzania
4. Malawi
5. Algeria
6. Nigeria
7. Ghana
8. Burkina Faso
